La CaÅada observatory, NEOCP Observations

(Last updated 2010 July 21)

This is a compilation of observations of objects posted by the
Minor Planet Center on the NEO Confirmation Page (NEOCP).
Most of this confirming observations, unless the object turns out to
be non interesting, are issued in an electronic circular
(MPEC).
In some of these objects it was also detected cometary activity, in
such cases there's an additional circular of the International
Astronomical Union (IAUC).

2010

On 2010 July 18.03 working in remote from Madrid, I've confirmed this recently discovered object which was posted on the NEOCP with the observatory designation RO4B8DB, very low in the sky, at only 15 degrees of elevation an moving fast, at nearly 4 arc seconds per minute, this wouldn't seem an easy target if not for the relative brightness about 17 V, some sixty images of 20 seconds each arranged in three stacks of twenty resulted enough to perform astrometry with good signal to noise ratios and low residuals about 0.5 arc seconds.

An object posted on MPCs NEOCP was confirmed on a stack of images taken remotely from Madrid on 2010 July 04. Moving at 6 arc seconds per minute at magnitud 19V didn't seem an easy object however the night was clear enough to allow an early detection with small residuals. Because the resulting plate scale of the telescope + CCD system is about 1.2 arc seconds per pixel, the exposure used was 10 seconds per frame, short enough to prevent the asteroid drift.

The night of the Sunday 06 june 2010, working remotely from Madrid, I contributed to the confirmation of two objects posted on the MPC's NEO confirmation page (NEOCP), one of them (TAL 601) was moving quite fast, at about 4"/sec, allowing only short exposures max 20 seconds :TAL 601 = 2010 LN14 Apollo object

E. J. Christensen reports his discovery of a new comet on Jan. 10,
2007, in the course of the Mt. Lemmon Survey. After the first
announcement this comet could be linked to a Mt. Lemmon discovery of
Nov. 24, and 26, 2006, designated as 2006 WY182. The 19.5m comet
P/2007 A2 (Christensen) will pass perihelion on Jan. 17, 2007, at
about 2.8 AU. The period is about 16 years. (IAUC 8794, subscription
required, MPEC 2007-A46, MPEC 2007-A47)

Initially asteroidal, found to be cometary later on by C. W.
Hergenrother on Sept 20.11 UT (two months after discovery) on CCD
frames taken with the 1.54-m reflector at Catalina. COMET C/2006 OF_2
(BROUGHTON)

After an early confirmation of this NEO discovered by station 644
on June the 21th, and in collaboration with Monty Robson at Station
932 and Ramon Naves at 213, synchronized imaging was done, to find
its range and we concluded it was a NEO in short time.

2003

Non periodic (parabolic e=1) comet high incl. After some more
observations added results to be periodic (MPEC 2003-X49)
On Nov. 16, 2003, the LINEAR survey reported an apparently asteroidal
object, which was posted on the NEO Confirmation Page. Several
follow-up observers, including J. Young (Table Mountain), R. Fredrick
and R. Trentman (Louisburg), J. E. Rogers (Camarillo), and J. Lacruz
(Madrid), were able to detect the cometary nature of the 17.5m
object. The first and preliminary orbit for comet C/2003 W1 (LINEAR)
shows a perihelion at about 1.7 AU on November 14, 2003. This is the
126th comet discovery by LINEAR

Asteroid discovered by LINEAR 2002 has been identified as a
periodic (P=30.75 years) comet. Note that the designation is that of
a non-periodic one. Was in the list of Damocloids together with 2002
VQ94 which has been found to be cometary as well.

2003QH96

1QPAVAB

30.08.03
29.08.03

2003-Q63

Palomar

2003 QA90

AH43898

30.08.03

2003QE57

2003QE57

29.08.03

2003-Q54

Hilda, orbital data as published in MPEC 2003-Q54

2003QQ47

AH40052

25.08.03

2003-Q46

PHO, was Torino=1 in the JPL risk page, the impact solution in 2014
has been ruled out

An apparently asteroidal object found on May 23, 2003 by the LINEAR
sky survey and announced on MPEC 2003-K27 as 2003KV2 was found to be
cometary by C. Brinkworth and M. Burleigh (La Palma). The orbit shows
a perihelion at about 1.1 A.U. on July 10, 2003. The period is about
4.8 years, the third shortes on record for an existing comet. The
comet approached Jupiter in Jan. 2001, at about 0.55 A.U., before
which the perihelion distance was somewhat larger. This is LINEARs
110th discovery. (VdS Fachgruppe Kometen)